SU Nabb Center earns NEH grant to study Eastern Shore baseball

Salisbury University’s Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture is embarking on an 18-month project to chronicle Eastern Shore baseball leagues and teams of the mid-20th century, thanks to a competitive $11,300 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Common Heritage Program.

“At one time, the local teams that played in these leagues were a point of community pride,” said Dr. Creston Long, the center’s director. “Before television brought national games into their living rooms, people flocked to their neighborhood ballparks to cheer on teams often comprised of the people with whom they lived and worked every day. It’s an important — and sometimes forgotten — piece of the Shore’s shared history.”

The grant will allow the Nabb Center to create a digital archive of materials held by many people throughout the region, giving researchers an opportunity to view historical photos, programs, scorecards and more while still allowing the original owners to keep their family treasures related to the teams for which their fathers, grandfathers and others once played.